Jmeo's 2020 Shelby American GT500 SE Wide Body Build (+ "Phase 2")

[gfcobra04]

I like that pic looking at the rear.

 

[Crowd Hunter]

It hasn’t set in yet. First, I had to feel the wife out as to how she was gonna react to me dropping the deposit while she was at work.

I wouldn't think your wife would need to work with you printing money and all... ;-)

 

[Jmeo]

Just got off the phone with Shelby, and had a lot of questions answered.

1. Shelby offers a one year unlimited mileage warranty on everything they do. The Ford warranty is still in effect. The extended warranty is a grey area I am told.
2. Wide body rear quarters are fiberglass, bonded in place with two stage epoxy. Roughly 4" of fender is cut away before the flare is added.
3. Same style wheel available in matte black or brushed aluminum. I CAN GET THE WHEELS IN BRUSHED ALUMINUM! This just made my day, BA will look sick on my color.
4. The pulley appears to be made by Griptech. No answer on size yet.
5. Intercooler & heat exchanger are C&E Racing (what Whipple uses incase you didn't know this).
6. Suspension recalibration is proprietary to Shelby, and very similar to CFTP calibration.
7. As of now, the only CF spoiler offered is the Anderson Composite swing spoiler.
8. Half shafts are Ford Performance (AKA G-Force).
9. Being a post title car, it is 50 state emissions legal.
10. Car is completely covered from time of pick-up, to time of delivery, if using their delivery service (which I am).
11. Paint:
-Wide body rear quarter, and from C pillar to A pillar are painted.
-New hood is painted
-Side skirts are painted
12. Stripes:
-Rear bumper cover, trunk, roof, hood, front bumper cover are sanded down, stripes painted smooth, and complete bumper covers, trunk, roof & hood re-cleared.
- Side stripes painted the same way.

 

[Epiphany]

Shelby offers a one year unlimited mileage warranty on everything they do. The Ford warranty is still in effect.

I hate to be that guy Jaime but regardless of what you were told the installation of an aftermarket supercharger pulley that increases boost (if that is indeed what is done) will absolutely violate the terms of the factory warranty. That is not to say that a given dealer may or may not choose to "work with you" were there a related component failure.

I would be very cautious here if maintaining, without question, the protections provided within the factory Ford warranty.

 

[Shelby2]

I hate to be that guy Jaime but regardless of what you were told the installation of an aftermarket supercharger pulley that increases boost (if that is indeed what is done) will absolutely violate the terms of the factory warranty. That is not to say that a given dealer may or may not choose to "work with you" were there a related component failure.

I would be very cautious here if maintaining, without question, the protections provided within the factory Ford warranty.

What is your opinion Tob in regards to aftermarket exhaust systems and cold air intake systems and their impact on the factory warranty?

 

[btown93]

I hate to be that guy Jaime but regardless of what you were told the installation of an aftermarket supercharger pulley that increases boost (if that is indeed what is done) will absolutely violate the terms of the factory warranty. That is not to say that a given dealer may or may not choose to "work with you" were there a related component failure.

I would be very cautious here if maintaining, without question, the protections provided within the factory Ford warranty.

It would be good to understand exactly what the warranty would consist of. For example, Roush/Ford performance superchargers do come with their own powertrain warranty, but still keep parts of the factory Ford warranty. In short, the 5/60 ford powertrain warranty is replaced by a Roush 3/36 powertrain warranty if you add the supercharger, for the balance of the original 3/36. It looks like a factory built Roush vehicle carries the same 3/36 and 5/60 warranty thru Roush. It’s also possible that they may not have this 100% settled on how they plan to execute this portion of the package. Certainly something to keep in mind.

 

[protraxduner]

Surely Shelby and Ford have some type of agreement similar to Ford/Roush as related to warranty......How transparent those are is the question i would have....

 

[Jmeo]

I hate to be that guy Jaime but regardless of what you were told the installation of an aftermarket supercharger pulley that increases boost (if that is indeed what is done) will absolutely violate the terms of the factory warranty. That is not to say that a given dealer may or may not choose to "work with you" were there a related component failure.

I would be very cautious here if maintaining, without question, the protections provided within the factory Ford warranty.

He did not say that. He said due to the relationship with Ford and Shelby, warranty should not be an issue.

I am not new to modding, so I get how things work. Luckily I have a really great relationship with my local dealership, and I am confident they will work with me. I am close with the owner, who has himself sent his personal cars in the past to Shelby. He has an 07 wide body superesnake as a matter of fact.

It may be a "risk", but one I will be taking

Thanks for looking out Tob

 

[Tomster]

He did not say that. He said due to the relationship with Ford and Shelby, warranty should not be an issue.

I am not new to modding, so I get how things work. Luckily I have a really great relationship with my local dealership, and I am confident they will work with me. I am close with the owner, who has himself sent his personal cars in the past to Shelby. He has an 07 wide body superesnake as a matter of fact.

It may be a "risk", but one I will be taking

Thanks for looking out Tob

I would agree with Tob. That is the only bad side to this whole thing. The California clickbait king had to ship his car to Las Vegas for a simple rear end issue. Ford wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

 

[Stage_3]

Wow Jaime, wow!!
I read the thread title and had to read it again. lol This is awesome my man!
Congrats! What a beast she will be! I can't wait to see the updates.

 

[MadMax]

Jaimie,

Congrats man, your car will look amazing can’t wait to see the finished product.

 

[Epiphany]

He did not say that. He said due to the relationship with Ford and Shelby, warranty should not be an issue...I have a really great relationship with my local dealership, and I am confident they will work with me.

I don't want to sidetrack because I am excited to see you go through the process. But I would appreciate a moment to respond and to speak to some facts regarding certain modifications and risk.

Simply having a "relationship" means nothing with respect to the terms of the factory Ford warranty nor does it in any way influence or impact the laws in place via the EPA, CARB, or other state/local laws that may pertain to a given vehicle owner in a given state. For the sake of simple forum conversation, please note that I'm not in favor of draconian emission laws or automotive manufacturer corporate lawyers that in effect reduce the ability to enjoy wrenching in search of increased performance.

It would be good to understand exactly what the warranty would consist of. For example, Roush/Ford performance superchargers do come with their own powertrain warranty, but still keep parts of the factory Ford warranty. In short, the 5/60 ford powertrain warranty is replaced by a Roush 3/36 powertrain warranty if you add the supercharger, for the balance of the original 3/36. It looks like a factory built Roush vehicle carries the same 3/36 and 5/60 warranty thru Roush. It’s also possible that they may not have this 100% settled on how they plan to execute this portion of the package. Certainly something to keep in mind.

Roush manufactures, certifies and is an industry giant that covers the entire spectrum of all things automotive in the United States and beyond. They take all of this as seriously as an OEM and for that matter, they do the bulk of the work for the OEM's in many cases. I know you know this B but I'm on a roll so don't bust my chops too bad. Shelby, on the other hand, is but a speck in comparison. They simply don't have the capability or capacity to do the same thing. And as always, you are 100% correct regarding what happens to factory warranty coverage in many cases with what they have to offer. Of importance, Roush's hardware (supercharger, in your example) is certified EPA/CARB compliant when used and installed as directed.

To the heart of the matter and the mentioning that this conversion may include a "Performance Supercharger pulley (800 HP)." It would be great if Shelby applied for and was granted an EO number from the California Air Resources Board. If they did, they would be in a position (hypothetically speaking) to offer up some sort of warranty along the lines of what btown spoke of, a 3/36 since Ford would no longer cover it for the original 5/60. Note that there would seem room for interpretation but I'm not arguing that here but rather pointing out where to tread with caution. From the warranty covering our cars, note the portion I have highlighted.

If (in this case) the pulley was the same as the Ford pulley in terms of performance, quality, and durability, Ford would have no problem honoring the original warranty were there a related failure. The issue though is that a pulley designed to increase boost does not meet this criteria. It does not meet the definition of a "replacement part." Search for it on CARB's website and you'll see what I mean.

I suppose if you never have an issue then none of this matters eh?

If I may, a hypothetical. Let's say somebody adds Shelby's (or whoever makes it for them) pulley and suffers an engine failure or the engine has a problem such that it won't pass an emissions test (while under warranty) and the car ends up at the dealer. If the service tech notices something isn't right via testing or a visual he may investigate and find the non-conforming pulley. Note that Ford occasionally supplies dealers with bulletins pointing out certain modifications and how to flowchart them when diagnosing an issue. An example from Ford...

An example of the philosophy behind this...

And while I haven't seen a bulletin specific to 2020 GT500 modifications you can rest assured it'll be coming. Note the detail and how well versed they were on typical supercharger pulley mods with the last generation of GT500's...

This is why I like my performance parts to be a bit bland and as stock looking as possible. My bet is that Shelby will pretty the pulley up and squeeze their name on it in at least two places. If it has an EO and a Shelby specific warranty, fine. If not, it may as well be in hot pink neon if there is an issue. And as I hinted, Ford is on top of this. Sometime after "early production" 2020 GT500's were produced, Ford and Eaton very quietly started gearing up for any potential battles in this arena. They made the decision to use a "tamper proof indicator paste" so they could more readily validate certain suspicions. They are now marking supercharger assemblies with these witness marks so they can tell when disassembly/reassembly has been done in order to change the drive pulley.

A link to the type of paste they are using such as the blue you see in the above photo.
https://www.durablesupply.com/dytaprtoma.html#.Xyo4vOcpBEY

I could go on but all I'd be doing is putting people to sleep and further eroding Jaime's thread.

In a nutshell, Shelby should get an EO for any power producing pulley along with any ancillary hardware if necessary. They should also be explicit and detailed on how the factory warranty is affected and how they are going to pick up as much they can with a 3/36, etc. Something tells me they will do neither but it's early in the process and I tend to be as negative as they come.

What is your opinion Tob in regards to aftermarket exhaust systems and cold air intake systems and their impact on the factory warranty?

Beware, cold air systems that are non-certified are going to bring a tidal wave of tears should an engine so-equipped go boom boom. We need a dedicated thread for this one. Exhaust systems, post cat, rarely if ever cause related failures and aren't really on the radar list. Of major importance is the fact that they don't require certification and thus an exemption number. But if your aftermarket system somehow were to plug, rot away, etc, common sense prevails - Ford ain't covering it or any related failure.

 

[16Kobra]

As the title suggests, today I made the deposit required to get my 2020 GT500 in the queue to become a Shelby American Wide Body car. To say I am excited is an understatement. This is a big deal, and one I didn't take lightly. Some will never agree with it, some will, but thats ok because it's my decision to make. My wife and I are extremely excited, and look very much forward to the end result in give or take 9 months from now. Below is what I went with.


Signature Edition Exterior/Interior:

Dry carbon fiber, ventilated hood
"Shelby" branded hood strut
"Shelby" branded hood locks
"Shelby" branded engine caps
Striping & badging
Leather Recaro seat covers - Shelby designed and branded
CSM numbered engine & dash plate (I got #4)

Performance Features:

Performance Supercharger pulley (800 HP)
Performance half shafts
High volume /flow supercharger intercooler
High volume/flow supercharger heat exchanger
Front & rear springs (Ford Performance)
Front & rear sway bars (Ford Performance)
Suspension recalibration
Caster/camber plates (Shelby American)
Extended & hardened wheel studs (ARP)

Optional Features:

First 15 Factory Delivery
-Hotel accommodations
-Meet & greet with Shelby American President & Vice President
- Shelby American factory tour
-Shelby swag bag

Painted OTT & Side stripes
-color code of my choice

Shelby Wide Body
-Widened rear quarters
-Side rocker panels
-Side wings
-20x11 matte black forged mono-block front wheels
-305/30/20 MPSS 4s front tires,
-20x13 matte black forged mono-block rear wheels
-345/30/20 MPSS 4s rear tires

I will get to keep everything that comes off the car, down to the Recaro seat covers.

Thanks to @kilobravo I have a render of what she might look like (minus the wide body)!

Congrats, look forward to watching the build

 

[Jmeo]

Tob, I hear what you are saying loud & clear, and I appreciate your input. Essentially the only "real" modification performance wise is the pulley and a tune. The heat exchanger & intercooler are only more efficient as you know. With the amount of things that are being done to this car, by a lot of people, I am not at all worried. As a matter of fact, I would more than likely have done the same modifications myself. At least now it was performed by Shelby American, not by myself, or Joe Shmo tuning.

This may be just the prototype, but it is clearly a branded Griptech pulley.

I also have to agree with you and Tom, these seats are B - E - A - utiful! I am very interested in seeing what my Recaro version will look like. I am happy to no longer have Alcantara on the seats as well.

 

[Tomster]

Tob, I hear what you are saying loud & clear, and I appreciate your input. Essentially the only "real" modification performance wise is the pulley and a tune. The heat exchanger & intercooler are only more efficient as you know. With the amount of things that are being done to this car, by a lot of people, I am not at all worried. As a matter of fact, I would more than likely have done the same modifications myself. At least now it was performed by Shelby American, not by myself, or Joe Shmo tuning.

This may be just the prototype, but it is clearly a branded Griptech pulley.

I also have to agree with you and Tom, these seats are B - E - A - utiful! I am very interested in seeing what my Recaro version will look like. I am happy to no longer have Alcantara on the seats as well.

Oh yes, there are those seat covers you are going to get us.... Oh yea....

Jamie, I agree, a pully mod and a light tune probably isn't going to harm the car. However it will void the powertrain warranty from Ford. If Shelby American is guaranteeing your Ford warranty coverage for the powertrain, I would get that in writing. I would then run that through Ford and verify that you will be covered.

Otherwise it will incur shipping back to SA in Las Vegas and that would be a hefty round trip bill from Mass. You may want to inquire as to who pays for round trip shipping in the event Ford won't cover your powertrain warranty.

Don't get me wrong, Im excited for you. Just do your homework and get it all in writing if you can. Go find the YouTube video where the California kid clickbait king went through the Ford warranty rejection process and had to deliver the car to Las Vegas to get the work done. For him, I don't think it was a bid deal, he was in SoCal. You are in Mass, it is a concern that is worthy of inquiry.